Posting your assignments on WordPress

Go to WordPress.com and sign in using the email you used when you were invited to join the USF Broadcast News Group.

Click the button in the top left of your screen that takes you to sites affiliated with your email. You will see two different views as WordPress rolls out its new format, the black or blue background.

If your screen is black:

Scroll down under “posts” and click on “add new.”

Then you’ll see category options on the right that correspond to each class project.

Click the little box next to the project you are turning in.

Paste your YouTube link into the body, it will then embed into your post.

Add your text (script and/or web text).

Then click publish. Always test your link in a new tab.

Submit the link in canvas. Remember to submit the link to the finished post, not to your account. If you submit the link to your account, you will get points off.

If your screen is white and blue:

Click “add” next to “blog post.”

Then look down on the left under “categories.” When you click there, you will notice several different assignments for other USF professors. Makes sure to only click on the assignment name that has “Abrahamsen” in the title.

After you’ve added your media and text, click “publish” then submit that link in the assignment on Canvas. Remember to submit the link to the finished post, not to your account. If you submit the link to your account, you will get points off.

Embed instead of upload

Embedding is becoming a helpful tool to source your content. If you’re posting someone else’s tweet, for example, others can easily click on their handle to learn more about this person. This also helps your credibility. If you were the one who took the picture or made the meme, don’t you want credit too? By first posting your pictures on Instagram or Facebook, you will be able to embed media with links to your other platforms.

When you embed media, the content will constantly update the number or views, shares, retweets, etc. This is much better than just uploading a screengrab that will be out-of-date the moment you post it.

Embedding ties all of your social platforms together. It improves your chances of increasing your analytics. Many media companies these days will use analytics to determine if you get hired, and how much they will pay you. So start building those numbers up now. If you upload when you should embed, you will also lose points on your assignments.

WordPress is constantly updating and making it easier to embed, so make sure you use the most recent tutorials because there are lots of outdated ones online.

Links

Hyperlinking is a great way to drive engagement and add value for your readers. But don’t send your readers away to other people’s sites. I always suggest clicking the box that opens a new window when your reader clicks on a link on your page or post.

Click the link button at the top of your page or post when you’re in edit mode:

Then, check the box you see here that says “open link in new window/tab.” Then click “add link.”

You can also hyperlink the websites by highlighting a keyword in your page/post or you can adjust the “link text” in the window above.

WordPress Tutorials

Before you watch a tutorial, it’s important that you understand if you’re using WordPress.com or WordPress.org. Some tutorials are only relevant to one of those. For a quick rundown of the differences, check out this article on DIY Themes.

WordPress has many video tutorials to improve your posts, pages, and sites.